Running Head: SPANKING CHILDREN

Is it Ever Appropriate to Spank Children?

David Lobo

International College of the Cayman Islands

Class: General Psychology PY201
Instructor: Marleine Gagnon

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Problem Statement and Justification............................................................................................3
Objectives.....................................................................................................................................4
Methodology....................................................................................................................................4
Literature Review............................................................................................................................5
Discussion and Conclusion..............................................................................................................8
Summary..........................................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Whether to spank children or not is a major debate that has been raging for decades now.
Many players in the society have been contributing to this debate that has the world divided into
two opposing sides. The debate regarding spanking children is based on the responsibility of
parents, guardians and the society in general when it comes to disciplining children (Gershoff &
Andrew, 2016). As they grow, it is necessary for the grownups to provide guidance for children
and ensure that they follow the socially acceptable paths that will lead them into becoming
responsible citizens in the future. The burden has majorly been upon parents, guardians and
teachers in schools to discipline children to become morally upright. However, many societies
have been using corporal punishment as a way of punishing students for wrongdoing. Other
societies, especially those from the west have shied away from this approach and started using
less physical methods.
Problem Statement and Justification
The problem in this study is that there has been a lot of concern regarding the use of
corporal punishment. Over the centuries, many societies around the world have believed that
spanking children is a way to deal with indiscipline, and therefore an acceptable method of
correcting them. However, this method is under a lot of criticism due to its potential of causing
mental and physical harm to the children, either immediately or in the long run. Those that
propose this method believe that the use of physical punishment causes mild pain that can
motivate a child not to repeat the same mistake. However, the opponents of this method of child
disciplining argue that there are newer ways to discipline children with better results without the
use of physical options like spanking. Many societies are still using spanking as a disciplinary
action against children even in as much as others are developing new strategies.

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As the debate continues to rage, little is being done to address the effectiveness of
spanking children in disciplining them. In as much as many research works and articles have
been written to this effect, the societies using this disciplining methods continue to do so while
those that disregard it continue to pull apart. There is the need to prove whether the use of
spanking in society is the way to go or whether the opponents of this option have developed
better approaches. Fortunately, both groups agree to the fact that there is the dire need to
discipline children in order to ensure that they are morally upright, as much as possible. As such,
it is necessary to look into the merits and demerits of either of the two options in order to
determine the most appropriate methods to use in disciplining children, from the point of view of
spanking them whenever they make mistakes.
Objectives
The main objective of this study is to determine whether it is appropriate to use spanking
as a disciplinary tool for children. The following are the specific objectives of this paper:

To determine the merits of spanking children

To ascertain the demerits of spanking children
To determine the factors for using spanking
To establish the available alternatives to spanking and their merits or demerits

Methodology
The method used in this research work is based on other studies carried out by known
researchers in the past, regarding a similar topic to this. In this form of research, the study will
only rely upon the findings of the previous studies for the sake of comparisons and having its
own summary of the findings acquired from them. This kind of a study is known as secondary
research (Bowman, 2014). It is a more of a commentary on other previous papers carried out in a
rather critiquing fashion. It determines the directions taken by each paper and compares them to
try and connect or differentiate their views. In this comparison, the research focuses on the

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available gaps and deliberates on the challenges that require handling for the sake of making
future decisions regarding similar situations. A merit of secondary research is that it is time
saving as it does not involve carrying out primary surveys known to take a longer time to
complete. Therefore, a secondary research would become more ideal in this case.
This type of secondary research is known as literature review (Rhoades, 2011). It entails
the use of academic research works to come to a conclusion regarding a research problem. A
literature review usually focuses on a task that does not need the unraveling of a new concept
from primary data. However, it does involve the discovery of a new recommendation regarding
any one given topic by the comparison of a number of secondary research works. As required in
a literature review the method will entail a clear referencing of the sources used in order to avert
plagiarism, which is the theft of intellectual property for failure to appreciate the source of the
used information.
Literature Review
The issue of disciplining children has become major over the recent past. According to
Gershoff and Andrew (2016), the debate originates from claims that spanking children and
generally using physical punishment on them has dire effects on their development. The point is
that physical punishment on children is known to cause reflective aggression amongst the
youngsters as they grow. This means that the young ones are not capable of relating normally
with their peers and their families as years go by. They tend to have a resigned mood and are
quick to anger or change of mood from happiness to sadness. This is a point that has been raised
in the past and one that other commentators have agreed upon. For instance, in one study on the
outcomes of spanking, Gershoff and Andrew (2016) find out that there is a correlation between
the type of punishment used on children and the outcomes on the same. They agree with Durrant

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that the use of corporal punishment affects child development and hinders their development as
well as ability to perform academically.
The assertion that physical punishment has meted negative results on children as they
develop has also been agreed upon by, Chang, Rebecca and Pettit (2006) in their study on the
correct time and place to spank a child. In this study, they argue that even the most advanced
societies like Japan and the United States of America have been using corporal punishment in the
recent years. However, in as much as they agree to the negative effect of this punishment on
children, they also appreciate the fact that this sort of punishment is a way to ensure that children
do not repeat similar mistakes in the future for the fear of being spanked again. However, the
researchers bring up a new issue regarding spanking, which are the cultural background and the
societys views on spanking. They argue that the societys perception of punishment and the
appropriate methods to be used affect the use of such punitive methods.
In another study that tends to agree with Chang et al, Gershoff and Andrew (2016)
connect race with the type of punishment used. They believe that the use of spanking on children
is a way of enhancing their moral behavior later in their lives. According to their study, they
believe that physical punishment is a normative undertaking that is accepted by societies that
uphold their benefits. The study believes that the white race is more opposed to corporal
punishment like the use of spanking, unlike the other races, especially the black community.
Chang et al (2006), agree to this fact by showing the general dissent towards corporal
punishment in the USA as compared with Japan. They believe that the use of spanking on
children is also dependent on the extremity of the mistake made, especially in the Japanese
community. However, they find out that child misbehavior does not necessarily attract spanking
in the United States of America.

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The reliance on cultural backgrounds and acceptability of corporal punishment for
children does not argue a stronger point than that brought forward by Durrant regarding the
physical, social and mental effects of spanking children. All of the three papers agree that
corporal punishment is still being used in many parts of the world including the most developed
nations today. However, in as much as Chang et al (2006), focus on the when and the place to do
it, they do not shed enough light on its appropriateness apart from noting that it is dependent on
the socially acceptable punitive methods to use. This is the same case for Gershoff and Andrew,
who also believes that race has an effect on when and the number of times spanking takes place.
Nevertheless, it is fair to appreciate the fact that Gershoff and Andrew (2016) agree to the
argument that spanking causes trauma and injuries among other effects on the children.
According to the researchers in this literature review section, the appropriateness of using
spanking is not universal. For instance Chang et al (2006) argue that the appropriateness of
punishments used on children is usually based on the background of the society from which they
come, as well as the type of mistake made. In addition to this, the societys notion regarding
spanking of children and physical violence also plays a major role in determining where it is
appropriate to spank the youngsters for any mistake. In fact, according to Gershoff and Andrew
(2016), the American society is increasingly becoming more disregarding of spanking as an
effective way of punishing children regardless of the mistakes that they make. The developed
world is moving fast towards using other forms of punishment for the sake of childrens
psychological welfare, and in order to ensure that the children grow up to be more responsible
and open to society than the usually aggressive children that undergo excessive physical
punishment.

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Discussion and Conclusion
The topic regarding the best time for spanking children is a tricky one. The fact that
research has correlated physical punishment of children and their poor development in their later
lives is one cause of dilemma. Spanking has been used since time immemorial for correcting
children when at home and school. It has been a general thought that inflicting temporary pain on
a child is a way to discourage them from making mistakes intentionally in the future. As such, it
has been used in many societies as a way to correct children and get them onto the right track at
all times. The fact that it has been working for many centuries and has been accepted in societies
all those years, makes spanking a difficult tradition to leave. However, it is worth noting that
there is the possibility that psychological tenets of spanking might not have been considered in
the past. This means that the effects of spanking on childrens mental health might not have been
clear to those that applied it in the past, and it might be the case up to now. In conclusion, the
question as to when it is appropriate to use spanking on children can only be answered when it is
proved that such spanking would not affect the child psychologically. Until then, there is never
an appropriate time to spank a child as a form of punishment.
Summary
The topic of spanking has been around for the past few decades, splitting the global
society into two. The problem is the effect of the practice on childrens health, including their
mental well-being. Research shows that there are proved effects of physical punishment on
children in terms of the way they associate with people around them, their parents and teachers
and their aggression as well. The societys background and beliefs regarding spanking affects the
extent of physical punishment on children. Most advanced western societies disregard spanking
while the rest of the world approved of it in many cases. However, in order to determine whether

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or not it is appropriate to use spanking as a way to punish children, there is a need to research on
its effects on childrens psychological health. Until this is done, there is not an appropriate time
to spank children.
Personal Comments: Personally, I believe that this conclusion is straight to the point regarding
the fact that there is a possible chance of mental instability caused by spanking. I believe that any
negative effect on a childs mental development would end up hindering their lives in their later
years.
Future Research: this research will contribute to the research topic and shed more light
regarding the directions to take on spanking children. However, this paper does not use a primary
study to acquire laboratory experiments and science-based facts. Therefore, future studies should
work on this papers limitation of using secondary studies and entail primary research for more
information and arguments to be acquired.

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References
Bowman, k. (2014).Research Recognition, the First Step to Research Literacy. The Journal of
Continuing Education in Nursing, 45(9): pp. 409-15.
Chang, I.J., Rebecca, W., Pettit, E.K. (2006). Where and When to Spank: A Comparison Between
U.S. and Japanese College Students. Journal of Family Violence, 21(4): pp. 281-286
Durrant, J. (2012). Physical punishment of children: lessons from 20 years of research.
Canadian Medical Association Journal, 184(12): pp.1373-1377
Gershoff, E.T. & Andrew, G. (2016).Race as a Moderator of Associations Between Spanking and
Child Outcomes. Family Relations, 65(3): pp.490-501
Rhoades, E.A. (2011). Literature Reviews. The Volta Review, pp. 353-368.